Firefighters call for residents to evacuate from coastal areas in Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, after an earthquake hit the area on Friday. / AP

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

TOKYO (AP) - A strong earthquake struck Friday off the coast of northeastern Japan in the same region that was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami last year. Tokyo high-rises swayed for several minutes, one city reported a small tsunami and at least two people were reportedly injured.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 and struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Miyagi prefecture at 5:18 p.m. local time The epicenter was 6.2 miles beneath the seabed and 150 miles offshore.

After the quake, authorities issued a warning that a tsunami potentially as high as 2.2 yards could hit. Ishinomaki, a city in Miyagi, reported that a tsunami of 1 yard hit at 6:02 p.m. local time.

About two hours after the quake struck, the tsunami warning was cancelled.

Miyagi prefectural police said there were no immediate reports of damage from the quake or tsunami, although traffic was being stopped in some places to check on roads.

Sirens whooped along the coast as people ran for higher ground.

A 75-year-old woman fell and was injured while evacuating to flee from the tsunami, public television broadcaster NHK reported. It said a child was reportedly injured in the Miyagi city of Sendai. Miyagi police said they could not confirm those reports.

Shortly before the earthquake struck, NHK broke off regular programming to warn that a strong quake was due to hit. Afterward, the announcer repeatedly urged all near the coast to flee to higher ground.

More than an hour after the quake struck, an unnamed official from the Meteorological Agency, speaking on national television, continued to warn people to stay away from the coast.

"Please take all precautions. Please stay on higher ground," he said.

The magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that slammed into northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, killed or left missing some 19,000 people, devastating much of the coast. All but two of Japan's nuclear plants were shut down for checks after the earthquake and tsunami caused meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant in the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Immediately following Friday's quake, there were no problems at any of the nuclear plants operated by Fukushima Dai-Ichi operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., said a TEPCO spokesman, Takeo Iwamoto.

All Nippon Airways spokesman Takuya Taniguchi said government officials were checking on the runways at Sendai airport. The two jets that were in the air went to other airports and all seven flights scheduled to go to Sendai for the day were cancelled, he said.

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